Co-Producer

Eschewing the standard talking-heads presentation, this new documentary combines archive and performance footage and stills with audio testimonies from those who met or knew Billie Holiday, conducted in the 1970s for a planned biography. The book was scotched after the author’s early death; the tapes have not been heard, until now.

The outlines of Holiday’s life are well known, but the story is brought vividly to life through these first-hand accounts from her friends, relatives, fellow musicians (including Count Basie and Sylvia Sims), and even the arresting officer on one of her drug busts, and the pimp who pressed her into prostitution as a young girl. 

REVIEWS

Evening Standard - “This tantalising documentary approaches the life of trail-blazing jazz singer Billie Holiday from the most oblique of angles”

The Times - “It’s a richly rewarding film, and the best music doc since Amy”

NME - “A rich yet heartbreaking documentary on all-time great Billie Holiday”

iNews - “Eye-poppingly compelling”

BBC Radio 2 - “It’s a layered film, it’s a rich film, of course it’s a heartbreaking one, but a really eye-opening one”